Models of International Labor Standards

Abstract

This article examines existing models of the regulation of international labor standards in the context of international trade. The article first focuses on conceptual and theoretical notions of the international regulation of labor standards. Four existing models of international labor regulations are then examined: the legislative model, the trade sanctions model, the multilateral enforcement model, and the voluntary standards model. The theoretical issues raised and the characteristics of the four models are then used to develop a suggested structure for the international regulation of labor standards in a world of free trade.